


Mr. Sandman

by How_Unusual



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Angst, Controlling Behaviour, Eventual Fluff, Eventual Happy Ending, F/F, Face Slapping, Possessive Behavior, Romance, Stockholm Syndrome
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-28
Updated: 2019-04-08
Packaged: 2019-10-18 07:52:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 15,953
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17576849
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/How_Unusual/pseuds/How_Unusual
Summary: River Song returns to see her wife, the Doctor, but this time she's acting a little differently. Ie, more possessive, controlling, and she's certainly slapping the Doctor more.[!! THIS STORY HAS BEEN ABANDONED UNLESS SOMEONE WANTS TO ADOPT IT AND FINISH IT!!]





	1. Mr. Sandman, bring me a dream,

**Author's Note:**

> Don't hate me for this. Idk, the idea just came to my head when I was thinking about that time River slapped the Doctor in the diner. 
> 
> Don't worry, River Song is one of my fave characters, and I'm certainly not doing this because I hate her.
> 
> Um, enjoy

The Doctor ran excitedly around her new console, flipping switches, pulling lever, twisting knobs. There were a lot of fiddly things for her on the new design, and she thanked the TARDIS for them. Some of them didn't really do much in the way of piloting her ship, but they were still fun to use.

The TARDIS lurched violently and she quickly held onto the console, not missing the startled gasps from her friends who were also holding on for dear life.

"Are you okay?" The Doctor asked.

"Fine, thanks," Graham answered. 

"I was talking to the TARDIS, but that's always good news," retorted the Doctor. 

"Right, of course," Graham muttered to himself along with snickers from Yaz and Ryan. 

A second later when he had gotten a good grip on one of the columns, Graham spoke up again, "what's happenin', Doc? I swear it's not usually this bad." 

"I don't know, but the TARDIS seems quite upset," the Doctor noted, patting the console comfortingly. 

"What's it upset about?" Ryan piped up. 

" _She_ , Ryan. And I'm not sure yet," the Doctor answered honestly. "I think we're about to find out, though!" Called the Doctor as she grabbed hold of something to keep her upright.

Suddenly, with a loud boom and crackle, something akin to lightning lit up the room. Team TARDIS and the Doctor looked away for a second at the blinding light. 

When they lifted their eyes back up to where the lightning had lit up, they all stopped short at the sight of a woman. The Doctor visibly paled and gulped, even her tight grip on the console was unable to quell the shaking.

The woman stood confidently on the middle of the console room, her eyes solely on the Doctor. Full, curly, blonde hair framed her beautiful face and brought out the lovely green eyes. A promising smirk lay on her lips. She wore a black coat that had a fluffy collar, and tight black jeans to go with it. Her natural height was increased with a pair of black, ankle-cut heeled boots.

Ryan's eyes drew to a clunky watch on her wrist. The only drescription he could come up with was ' _Pip boy_ '. It had more buttons, but looked oddly similar. He was sure it wasn't used to heal her or carry weapons, though. The screen was a little smaller, as was the watch-like thing itself, but still.

The woman made her way slowly over to the Doctor who hadn't moved a muscle since the arrival, not even to ask who she was or how she got inside the TARDIS. 

"Hello, sweetie," the woman said, stopping in front of the Doctor. The latter took in a gasping breath and tentatively reached out a hand to cup to woman's face. Tears welled in her eyes when her hand made contact.

"Hello, sweetie," she repeated, a smile finally forming on her mouth. Graham, Ryan, and Yaz shared a look of confusion.

"You've redecorated," the woman said, moving away from the Doctor to take in the sight of the console room. "I like it," she complimented, running a hand over the wall. Ryan was sure she wasn't talking to the Doctor right now.

The TARDIS whirred, but it didn't sound happy. A confused frown replaced the Doctor's smile and she looked up at the ceiling with concern. She followed the woman who was walking around the room with intrigue.

"River, what are you doing here?" The Doctor asked the woman. She stopped and turned to come face to face with the Doctor.

"Don't you want me here, my love?" She asked with something akin to hurt. 

"No, no, that's not what I mean," the Doctor reassured River, putting her hands on the woman's upperarms. "I just- when was the last time you saw me?" She asked instead.

"Oh, I don't know, it's been so long," River sighed, scooting past the Doctor and going up to the TARDIS console to stroke it. 

"Well, where's your diary?" The Doctor asked.

"Not sure," River answered casually. 

"You... lost your diary?" The Doctor stuttered. 

River turned around and stalked up to the Doctor, placing her hands on the other woman's hips. She pulled the Doctor close to her, ignoring to surprised squeak that left her lips. A hand ran up to cup to Doctor's cheek then tangle in her short blonde hair.

"How about we drop the kiddies off and have some time to ourselves, huh?" River suggested in a low voice. 

"But we were going to space Florida," the Doctor protested.

"Sweetie, you've got a time machine. We could be gone decades and still pick them up five minutes after we dropped them off," River pointed out. 

"No, I want to go to space Florida today," the Doctor told River, stepping out of her hold and going to fiddle with some buttons on the console.

River sighed and pursued the Doctor around the console, no matter how much the woman tried to avoid her. "Oh, come on, sweetie," she said, "I haven't seen you in God knows how long." 

"When did you last see me?" The Doctor repeated her earlier question, not stopping her journey around the controls.

"I don't know. Darillium, maybe? Possibly the Library," River finally said thoughtfully. The Doctor froze, her hand hovering above a blue switch. 

"That's not possible," she denied and shook her head. 

"Yet here I am," River smiled. "How can I know about the Library if I haven't already been there? You certainly didn't tell me about it." 

The Doctor stared at River for the longest time. She wasn't sure what to say. The last time she had seen River was Darillium, and she'd never gotten over the painful knowledge that she'd never see River again, but River would be seeing her.

A short cough from behind her startled her and she turned around to see her fam. She'd almost forgotten they were there. 

Her face lit up in a smile and she rushed over to them. She put her hands on the shoulders of the nearest person, Graham, and shuffled him over to River. Ryan and Yaz followed closely, not wanting to miss being introduced to the mysterious woman.

"Fam, this is Professor River Song, archeologist, and my wife. River, this is Graham, Ryan, and Yaz. My fam," the Doctor introduced. 

"Wait, you're married?" Ryan questioned. "I thought-" Yaz elbowed him.

"Yeah, I thought so, too," the Doctor said softly, "but it turns out I'm wrong!" She then claimed happily. 

"Well, I'm happy for you, Doc," Graham told her, putting a hand on her shoulder. The Doctor smiled widely in thanks.

River then sidled up behind behind the Doctor and wrapped her arms around her waist, pulling her wife flush up against her. The Doctor blushed and put her hands over River's in response, feeling something strange in her nether regions at River's hands on her stomach.

"So, how about it?" River asked, tightening her hold just a bit. "Wanna leave the kiddies at home and spend some time catching up? I'm loving this new body, by the way."

"Really?" The Doctor asked hopefully. 

"Of course. So much to explore," River replied, trailing a finger up and stopping just below her breasts.

"Um," Ryan said awkwardly, pointedly looking away. 

The Doctor quickly slid out of River's hold with embarrassment and moved to the console. She started piloting them through the vortex, a destination in mind. 

When the TARDIS landed with a  _thump_ , the Doctor rushed over to the door and flung it open, revealing an ordinary looking street with rows of houses. 

"Hang on, this is Sheffield," Graham pointed out, joining her by the door. 

"Yep," the Doctor nodded, "thought you lot might want a bit of rest before goin' to space Florida." 

"Ohh," Yaz said quietly, looking between her and River. The Doctor blushed and River grinned shamefully. "Okay. Well, uh, we'll see you soon...?" 

"Sounds good," the Doctor said awkwardly now it was obvious Yaz knew what she was trying to do.

"Okay. Uh, bye?" Yaz continued then with another look at the Doctor's wife, left the TARSIS altogether with Ryan and Graham following after saying their own goodbyes.

When team TARDIS had left, the Doctor shut the door softly and returned them to the vortex where the ship floated peacefully. She stayed at the console even though she didn't need to pilot anymore. 

As anticipated, River joined her at the console and returned to her position holding her from behind. The Doctor's lips curled up into an appreciative smile and she covered River's hands with her own once again.


	2. Make her the cutest I've ever seen,

The next time the Doctor saw her fam was a month after she had dropped them off to spend time with River. It was longer than she'd have preferred, but like her wife had said, she could have been gone for any amount of time and still picked them up five minutes after she'd left.

Sticking true to River's words, she decided to pick them up a couple days after her departure.

Pulling the lever on the console, the Doctor landed the TARDIS in Sheffield with a thud. She grinned, always happy to know she had successful landed the Old Girl, and slid over to the monitor to check her appearance. She looked exactly like she had when she'd dropped her fam off a month ago, barring a slight red tinge to her left check where River had slapped her five minutes ago for talking too much.

Her eyes drifted over to her wife who was watching her carefully, and couldn't keep the goofy, love-struck look off her face. Before her recent reappearance in her life, River hadn't slapped her in a long time. As much as she disliked being slapped (really, it hurt), she could never say no to being slapped by her wife. It was their flirting, really, even if it was unpleasant. River's slaps were the worst. They still stung horribly even five minutes after the deed had been done and left marks for god knows how long.

"Right," she said to River, pulling herself from her thoughts, "let's go see my fam."

River rose a perfectly shaped eyebrow, "oh, sweetie, they're your friends. I think I'd rather stay here."

The Doctor's smile faltered a bit, "really? Don't you want to make a good impression?"

"Whatever for?" River chuckled. "Like I said, they're your friends, not mine. I don't need to make a good impression. I'm not going anywhere, they'll just have to get used to me if they don't like me."

Now, River not going anywhere was something she hadn't mentioned in the past month. "You're not?" The Doctor lit up, rushing over to River. She knelt down in front of her and the seat the TARDIS had procured for her wife to sit on.

"Of course not, sweetie," River said, running a finger along the Doctor's jawline. The latter almost purred in appreciation. "You won't get rid of me that easily."

"I hope not," the Doctor gushed, resting her head on River's knees and closing her eyes whilst her wife ran her hands through her short, blonde hair.

The Doctor was starting to doze off with River still running her hands through her hair when there was a rap at the doors. Her eyes flew open and she looked around, gathering her bearings for a second when River spoke, "we're parked in Sheffield, my love."

She quickly scrambled up, straightening her coat and smoothing her hair. "Right, of course. Almost forgot," she admitted.

Satisified she looked alright even if she hadn't looked in the monitor again, she rushed over to the TARDIS doors and sent a silent request for her ship to unlock them. The TARDIS obliged the doors slowly creaked open slightly after a small _click_.

The Doctor pulled the doors open fully to be met with the sight of her current companions, her fam, on the other side waiting paitently. 

"Gang! Fam!" She exclaimed happily. From their point of view it had only been a couple of days since they'd seen each other, but for her it had been a whole month which meant she was just a little too excited to see them.

She grabbed the nearest person and pulled him in for a hug them pushed him away in annoyance when she realised it was Ryan and he was much taller than her. When Ryan stepped passed her and into the TARDIS with a grin, she yanked Yaz and Graham inside too with the doors closing of their own accord.

"My fam," she said again, making Ryan groan at the word and Yaz and Graham give her sympathetic smiles.

"How long has it been since you've seen us?" Yaz asked, picking up on her obvious excitement. 

"A month! A whole month!" The Doctor whined. She caught River's unimpressed expression and quickly reassured her, "it was a good month!" Her wife went back to whatever she was going with her vortex manipulator at that moment, choosing ignore the Doctor's new companions. 

Let off the hook, the Doctor sighed. Her wifr had been like that since she arrived. Disinterested in anything but her. Whenever the Doctor would bring up an adventure she and her fam had been on, she would either get the cold shoulder for the next half an hour, or a slap. She couldn't help but be concerned by how she was acting. Even her TARDIS was unimpressed by River's unusually aggressive behaviour, which was odd in and of itself. Any other time the TARDIS would jump on any opportunity to gang up on her with River, yet this time she seemed off where her 'daughter' was concerned.

She turned to her fam, "so, where to, fam?!" She questioned and ran to the console to take them into the vortex. "Wait!" She said and hopped over to Graham who looked suitable startled by her neverending energy. "We were takin' turns weren't we?" She asked him.

"I think so, yeah?" He said, and leaned away from her piercing gaze.

"Right. Pick somewhere, Graham!" She ordered and skipped back over to the console, preparing to input the coordinates.

"Oh, well," he hesitated, put on the spot. "I've alway been interested in nineteenth century London," he finally said to the Doctor. 

The Doctor grinned up at him, "great choice! Nineteenth century London it is!" With that, she input the coordinates and started rushing around the circular console, piloting them to their destination.

In the background, Yaz held onto one of the crystal pillars, while Graham and Ryan held each other steady with the latter keeping a grip on one of the pillars. 

Suddenly, the rocking stopped, but the Doctor was still going around the console. When she noticed, she also stopped her actions. She looked over to one specific part of the console and spotted a hand. She followed he hand to look at her wife.

"River!" She whined, continuing her piloting so they wouldn't crash into the fifty-first century, or god knows where. 

"The poor dear needs a break, sweetie," River told the Doctor, the first thing she'd said since team TARDIS had come onboard. 

The Doctor came around the console to meet her wife as her companions cautiously peeled themselves away from the pillars, "but I like the noise!" 

"She isn't supposed to make that noise, my love. As I've told you a hundred times," River chastised the Doctor. 

"But-" the Doctor started to protest but a stern look from River made her hold her tongue. She rolled her eyes and went back to piloting.

A second or so later, the Doctor pulled the lever and the TARDIS silently landed. Team TARDIS look around in confusion. With an excited grin on her face, the Doctor ran to the doors and flung them open.

Outside the doors was definitely London. Small snowflakes floated gently down and coated the ground in a blanket of cold, white snow. Londoners wearing dresses and suits bustled around, oblivious to the magic blue box that had appeared out of thin air right under their noses. As the Doctor took in the sight, a carriage pulled by a pair of black horses drove by.

"It's beautiful," Yaz breathed, taking in the snowy city before them. The Doctor turned to Yaz who was stood with Graham and Ryan behind her.

"I know," the Doctor nodded and turned back to the view before shutting the doors, and addressing her friends. "Right. Basic rules. This is the past, so no interfering unless  _absolutely_ necessary. Also, you'll need to change into more suitable clothes," she told her friends.

"We've never had to change before," Graham pointed out in confusion. 

"I know, but we were in a rush then. I just remembered," the Doctor said apologetically. 

Ryan sighed, "alright, where's the wardrobe?"

"That's the spirit, Ryan!" The Doctor praised, making the boy smile. "Down that corridor, take a left, anothet left, a right, go passed the kitchen, passed the library, and then a final right. The wardrobe should be the third door on the left."

"Alright, come on you two," Yaz said to Ryan and Graham, already leading the way. The men followed her down the corridor the Doctor had pointed out to them, and disappeared behind a wall when they took the first left. 

With her fam gone, the Doctor turned her attention to her wife who was still by the console. She made her way over to her and slipped in between her wife and the console, prompting River to put her hands on her waist out of habit.

The Doctor smiled softly, "are you coming with us? I can help you pick out a dress?" She suggested. 

"That would be lovely, sweetie," River nodded and without another word, pressed her lips to the Doctor's. The latter eagerly returned the sentiment, opening her mouth for her wife. 

Just as the kiss was getting heated, River pulled away with a smile, making the Doctor pout, alreading missing the feel of her wife's lips on her own.

"About that dress?" River reminded her and stepped away, removing her hands from the Doctor's hips. 

"Oh, right, of course!" The Doctor said quickly, a blush creeping up her neck at the thought of what might've gone on if River hadn't pulled away. "Follow me then, wife," she said and held out an arm for River to take hold of.

"Ever the gentleman," River noted, "even when you're not," she let her eyes trail down the Doctor's new female form.

"For you, always," the Doctor admitted. 

River chuckled and let the Doctor lead the way to their own personal wardrobe across the hallway from the one her companions had gone to.


	3. Give her two lips, like roses and clover

The group of five met back up in the console room after they were all dressed and ready for their next adventure. They were all dressed according to nineteenth century fashion, and looked amazing.

Ryan and Graham both wore smart black suits with black bowties contrasting their white shirts. Ryan had a cane and top hat to top off his smart suit, while Graham didn't jother with either.

Yaz and River were wearing beautiful dresses, with ruffles and lace. River's was black and purple themed, whilst Yaz's was a lovely magenta colour. River's hair was kept as it was, flowing nicely over her shoulders and briging out the colour in her eyes. Yaz had her hair slightly wavy and pinned up with a few stray hairs framing her face. 

The Doctor was wearing a black suit like Graham and Ryan. The trousers were skinny and gave room to show off her shiny black and white smart shoes. She had a top hat placed on her head, contrasting her short, blonde hair, and a wooden cane in her right hand much like Ryan. The tails on her coat hung down behind her and stopped at the back of her knees. A white hankerchief was poking out from her chest pocket, and a black bowtie was suited at her neck.

"Here, Doc, you sure it's s good idea to wear a suit out there?" Graham asked worriedly. He was thinking of her safety, of course. Wearing men's clothes in the nineteenth century wasn't exactly the smartest thing she'd come up with.

The Doctor smiled, unbothered, "of course! No one will question it, trust me," she finished with a wink. As much as Graham wanted to protest, he slowly modded, trusting her judgment.

Turning to the console, the Doctor picked up a large, black umbrella with a hooked handle. She passed it to River who smiled, then held out her arm to her wife for her to take.

"Right, are we ready?" The Doctor asked them all.

Ryan awkwardly held up his hand, "um, I think I need to use the bathroom," he admitted, shuffling. 

"Ryan!" The Doctor chastised jokingly. "Hurry up, we'll meet you outside," she then told him. Ryan nodded quickly and leant his cane on the console before rushing off down one of the corridors. 

"Come on then, extended fam," the Doctor said, looking at River adoringly. Graham and Yaz exchanged smiles and followed the married couple with linked arms out of the TARDIS and into the wintery city of London.

The second they stepped out, River put up the umbrella and held it above herself and the Doctor, protecting them from the cold snow. Graham and Yaz had one, too, and the older man was holding it above the two. In their clothing, they really fit in with the time zone and scenery. 

"It's beautiful," Yaz stated, looking around. Graham nodded mutely in agreement. 

"I know," the Doctor said, taking her eyes away from the scenery to look at River. When her wife stared back, she moved her eyes away and back to snowy London. 

The Doctor was the first to move away from the TARDIS first, heading down the path. With their arms linked, River was forced to follow her wife further into the crowds.

"Here, Doc, we're gonna wait for Ryan. We'll catch up with you soon," Graham called to the Doctor, staying put by the TARDIS. 

"Okay!" The Doctor responded, holding up a hand but not turning around. The same couldn't be said for River, though. Her grip on the Doctor tightened a bit and she turned her head to stare at Graham and Yaz. The pair looked at each other in confusion, but when they looked back, the Doctor and River were gone, supposedly lost in the crowd.

* * *

As they couple walked through the busy streets of London, horse hooves clapping against the cobble paths in the background, River abandoned the umbrella, bored of holding it, and leaned it against a wall. The Doctor didn't seem to notice as they got further and further away from it as they walked. 

"Let's go down there, sweetie," River told the Doctor and pointed to a small slope that led to a large bridge above a river. 

"Are you sure? Looks a bit steep," the Doctor noted, eyeing the snowy slope. 

"Come on," River simply said and let go of the Doctor's arm to hold her skirts as she made her way down the slope. By some miracle, she managed to keep her balance even with her heels and the snow.

The same couldn't be said for the Doctor. As she was making her way down, she stepped on a particularly slippery patch and almost fell. Her top hat fell from her head and tumbled down the slope to rest by River's feet. Luckily her wife caught her as she reached the bottom of the slope, and returned her hat to her head followed by a chaste kiss to her cheek. 

With them both at the bottom of the slope, River led her to stand under the bridge by the flowing river. The water was dirty, and the brick walls of the arched bridge were damp and mossy, but that didn't stop River from shoving the Doctor against them.

Despite her breath being temporarily knocked from her lungs, the Doctor readily returned River's sudden kiss with an eager energy. Her hands instictively flew up to rest in River's blonde curls while one of her wife's hands rested on her hip and the other cupped her cheek.

The kiss was soon cut short when River pulled away, forcing the Doctor to remove her hands from her hair and hang limply by her side. One of River's own hands was placed on the wall beside her head and the other played innocently with her bowtie, nostalgia evident in her eyes. 

Just as the Doctor was getting lost in her wife's eyes that didn't meet her eyes and stayed fixed on the black bowtie, River spoke.

"So, tell me about these new companions of yours, sweetie," she requested, finally meeting her eyes.

The Doctor smiled widely. Her wife finally wanted to hear about her new best friends. "They're brilliant, River! And they really helped me after I regenerated," she stated. "Graham was one of the first faces this face saw. He's really brave. He went through a hard time, but came out on top, I'm proper proud of him. And then there's Ryan, Graham's grandson. He has dyspraxia, but that doesn't stop him living his life and having a good time. He's really come along way."

"And what about Yaz?" River asked, raisng an eyebrow.

"She's brilliant as well. She's a police officer, and her mum is lovely. Went to see her grandmother in the past once," the Doctor nodded. 

River removed her hand from the Doctor's bowtie, "really?" She said. The Doctor nodded quickly with a smile. "You know, I think Yaz thinks you're brilliant, too," she continued, her other hand moving to rest beside the Doctor's head. The latter didn't seem to notice. 

"She does?!" The Doctor asked. 

"Oh, yes," nodded River, "I think... she likes you." 

"I hope so. It would be a bit awkward travelling with me otherwise," the Doctor said innocently.

"Not like that, sweetie. I think she  _likes_ you," River said again. 

Suddenly the Doctor understood. "Oh," she squeaked, cheeks tinging red a bit. "She... she, um... wow. Uh, alright," she stuttered. 

"Mhm," River hummed, removing a hand from the wall to trail a finger along the Doctor's jawline. "And do you like her back, my love?" 

The Doctor frowned, "well, of course, but n-"

Suddenly, the palm of River's hand struck the Doctor's cheek, making her head to snap to the side from the force or the blow. The Doctor brought a hand up to hold her stinging cheek.

"Not like that," she finished lamely. Her hat had tumbled off again and was now lying on the ground. She kept her eyes focused on that instead of River's harsh glare. That glare hurt her more than the slap had.

"I can't help who loves me, River, but it doesn't mean I like them back," she stated, eyes still glued to the hat on the floor. 

River brought her hand up again and the Doctor instinctively flinched away, expecting another slap even with her hand blocking access to her cheek, but was relieved to find River was merely moving some stray hairs from her face.

"I suppose you're right," River muttered, still pushing strands of hair out of her face. The Doctor finally looked back up and into River's eyes. 

"I love you, though," the Doctor reassured her upon seeing the immense sadness reflected in her wife's eyes. "I wouldn't have married you otherwise," she brought her hand away from her cheek and clasped River's in it.

"The world was ending, sweetie," River reminded her. 

"Yeah, well what about all the other weddings?" The Doctor retorted immediately. River smiled lightly. 

"You win this round," she said and pressed her lips against the Doctor's. Thankfully, their intense kiss distracted the Doctor from the horrible stinging of her cheek.


	4. And tell her that her lonely nights are over,

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh, it's one am, and I have to be up at nine to meet up with my friend. I am not ready. 
> 
> Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter, it started off angsty, got a bit happier, but then James Arthur started playing and it got angsty again.

The Doctor and River traipsed through London in search of the former's current companions. They'd gotten quite carried away under the bridge, neither wanting to pull away from the other, but in the end common sense had gotten the best of both of them and they'd come to a mutual agreement that they would go find Ryan, Graham, and Yaz. 

With their hands clasped together, the Doctor pulled River through a heavy crowd whilst also keeping a good eye out for her friends. Children were running around engaging in snowball fights with their cotton scarfs wrapped snugly around their necks, whilst their parents chastised them and ordered them to be careful.

The Doctor shared a fond look with River as they were now passing a park that was less green but more white with the thick blanket of snow. A couple of snowmen stood proudly around the park, some of them still being built by children and young-spirited grown ups.

"Can we build a snowman?" The Doctor asked River eagerly. Her wife looked fondly at her. 

"I suppose so, but I thought you wanted to find your friends?" River pointed out.

"They're over there," the Doctor stated, pointing to the other end of the park where she had spotted her fam about a minute ago.

River rolled her eyes, "would have been nice to know that before. Save me all the worrying."

The Doctor smiled, but couldn't help the intrusive thought that River didn't actually care about her new friends in the slightest. That much had been proven several times over the past month, most recently when they'd been under the bridge. Her hand subconsciously reached up and felt her cheek where she knew the red mark was only just starting to fade.  She couldn't help the lingering knowledge that River wasn't acting like herself. She knew River, had been married to her for more time that she could remember, and this woman in front of her was merely a shell of what her wife used to be.

There was a time when River really did care about the Doctor's companions, would do anything to keep them safe, even if it meant she wasn't completely safe in the process. But now, for some reason, her wife didn't seem the least bit interested in her new friends, barely even taking the time to get to know their names. And she wasn't exactly treating her, the Doctor, the best either. Not that, that mattered much. River had always been quite feisty, that was undeniable.

Having got lost in her thoughts, the Doctor was brought back when River brought her hand away from her face and gently pressed a kiss to her red cheek.

"Come on, my love, let's build a snowman," she said and pulled her over to a patch of mostly untouched snow. With something to take her mind off her sudden downwars spiral of thoughts about River, the Doctor threw herself to her knees and started the task of making the bottom part of her snowman.

* * *

Graham, Ryan, and Yaz watched from the other side of the large park as the Doctor started making a snowman, looking much like the other children in the park, only older and wearing a smart suit and top hat. Her wife was standing back and watching with what looked like amusement, apparently not as eager to kneel in the snow as the Doctor was.

Graham nurses the hot cup of tea he'd gotten from the TARDIS a few minutes ago when neither had seen the Doctor and her wife in a while. Ryan and Yaz had also gotten drinks, but had finished them off quite quickly in hopes to ward off the cold.

He turned to his grandson and Yaz. "So, what do you two think about the Doc's wife?" He asked curiously, knowing it had been on all of their minds since they first met her. 

Ryan shrugged, "I dunno. She seems nice enough, and the Doctor clearly loves her. And she did say she'd lost her family a long time ago, it must be a nice surprise to have her wife back in her life."

"Yeah, I suppose," Graham agreed, but couldn't shake the feeling of nervousness that he got when looking at River or thinking about her.

"I dunno. I mean, she does seem nice and she clearly love the Doctor," Yaz started, "but I can't help but think there might be somethin' goin' on. Somethin' neither of them are telling us. It makes me uneasy."

"You always did have good judgement, and I'm not likin' that right now," Ryan told Yaz with a frown.

"Look, I'm not sayin' that it's anythin' bad," Yaz tried to reassure him, but her face said otherwise, "it's just... oh, i dunno. All that matters is that the Doctor is happy."

"What, you sayin' she wasn't happy with just us?" Ryan asked, jokingly nudging Yaz.

"No, not at all. Not from what I can tell anyways, but this is a different kind of happy, you know?" Yaz said. "Like, with us, she was happy, but there was always this kind of... I dunno, sadness? Loneliness? But now, with River, it's like that's been pushed aside. Or, forgotten?" 

"I guess so," Ryan nodded, watching with amusement as River tossed a snowball at the Doctor who was currently trying to pick up the middle part of the snowman.

"Well, the Doc's happy, that's what matters, right?" Graham pointed out and took a sip of his tea. 

Ryan and Yaz nodded their agreement, but couldn't shake the worry from the pits of their stomachs.

* * *

Half an hour later, the Doctor finished her snowman and was stood back, staring at it proudly. Its head wasn't perectly on its body, but it was the best she could do with her new, short legs. Plus, River refused to help her pick the head up and put it on.

Her hat was suddenly snatched from her head and she turned around to see River moving towards her snowman with her top hat in hand. She placed the black top hat on top of the snowman's head, tilted to the side just a but.

Then, she moved towards her again and reached for her bow tie. The Doctor wanted to protest, but River wouldn't stop looking at her as she undid her bow tie, and her mouth was suddenly unable to form words. She stuttered out a feeble protest as River slipped the tie from around her neck. Damn River, and her now body for reacting the way it was.

With a congratulatory noise, River made the fabric into a bow tie once more, then went back to the snowman and put the tie in between the head and the neck. It stayed exactly where it was, not needing to be tied around it as the snow kept it in place.

Now that she was looking at the fancy snowman, the Doctor couldn't find it in her to be annoyed at the lack of bow tie around her neck. Her eleventh self would probably have put up more of a fight, but bow ties weren't really a necessity in her current body.

She suddenly got an idea and she crouched down in front of the snowman, using her finger to write a little message in the snow. By the time she had finished, her index finger was freezing cold, but she proudly stared at the words ' _Doctor and River_ ' unbothered by it. River chuckled behind her and she turned around to see her wife standing behind her, also looking at the small memoir in the snow. 

River held out a hand for her and she took it, allowing her wife to help her back up. Her knees and shins were soaked from all the kneeling she'd done in the last fourty odd minutes, and her hands were numb. She was secretly relieved when River took one of her hands in both hers, slowly warming them up.

"Come on, I think we need to get you back to the TARDIS," River noted. 

"Good idea," the Doctor agreed, hating the way her voice sounded strained with the cold. Her biology might be different to humans', but even long exposure to cold tempratures took its toll on her. 

River pressed a kiss to her cold cheek and they quickly started to make their way across the park to where they could see the TARDIS standing beautifully on the other side. It seemed her fam had retreated for the evening, or wandered off to go see the sights. If that was the case, they would probably have to go looking for them, despite the cold. She hoped they'd gone back inside the TARDIS.

* * *

When they were finally inside the TARDIS, the Doctor and River left their shoes by the doors, not wanting to trek snow any further into the ship. The Old Girl really wouldn't appreciate that, and it was the least they could do, what with the Doctor constantly leaving the brakes on when she wasn't supposed to.

River took the Doctor's hand and led her down a corridor off to the side, intending to find their bedroom and get into some warmer, dryer clothes. The Doctor's shivering made River pull her a bit closer to her side, hoping to keep her warm just until they were in their bedroom.

Thankfully, the TARDIS seemed to take pity on them, and moved their bedroom as close to the console room as she could. An arched, TARDIS blue door with golden writing in Gallifreyan appeared before them and the pair sighed in relief, both sending their own silent thanks to the sentient ship.

The couple entered the bedroom, letting out another sigh when they found the room was much warmer than the rest of the ship, most likely the work of the TARDIS once again. River bustled the Docror over to the king sized bed where the Time Lord sat down stiffly, finding it hard to move her joints as she was still cold and shivering.

When the Doctor had lay down on the bed, pulling her fluffy white throw over herself, River moved over to the draws and pulled them open, disappointed to find that all the shirts were the same- maroon with a rainbow. She rolled her eyes and opened another draw, clenching her jaw when she saw several of the same shirt but in blue.

"Really, sweetie?" She asked, picking out one of the shirts and holding it up to show the Doctor what she was talking about.

The Doctor's eyes opened and she looked at the shirt. "I like that shirt," she stated obviously.

"Clearly," River muttered, putting the shirt neatly back in the draw.

Giving up on the Doctor's clothes, she went to her own draw and opened one that she knew held shirts and jumpers. She rummaged around until she found the jumper she was looking for. It was a thick, cream, woolen one that would be a little big for the Doctor but keep her warm, nonetheless.

She then went to the wardrobe and opened it up to see the Doctor's trousers. Once again, mostly all the same. She picked out a pair of pyjama bottoms she knew didn't belong to this version of her spouse. They looked like they belonged to Ten, and she came to he conclusion that they would probably fit her as her tenth regeneration was a skinny thing.

With the clothes chosen, she went over to the Doctor and nudged her shoulder to get her to open her eyes. 

"You can't go to sleep in those clothes, sweetie, they're wet," she pointed out when the Doctor slowly opened her eyes. "Come on, put these on," she requested and smiled when the Doctor obediently sat up and took the clothes from her. 

"Thank you," the Doctor said gratefully, taking off her jacket and shirt to replace it with the warm jumper.

"You're welcome, my love," River said. "Now, while you're getting dressed, I'm gonna go and get us both a cup of hot chocolate," she continued, loving the way the Doctor immediately brightned up.

"Don't forget the marshmellows! Oh, and some biscuits! Custard creams, preferably," The Doctor reminded her, slipping into her pyjama bottoms.

"Yes, dear," River chuckled and with that, slipped out of the room. She was going to get them drinks, but she could make a quick stop on her way. After all, she needed to have a serious conversation with Yaz about the Doctor. That silly woman was hers, and Yaz was deluded if she thought she had a chance with her.


	5. Sandman, I'm so alone

The Doctor hung her arm over the side of her bed, the white throw over still covering her body. She'd changed into the clothes River had given her, and she was much warmer now, but her her wife still hadn't returned. She'd been a while, and the Doctor couldn't even begin to imagine what was keeping her. She'd been promised hot chocolate with marshmallows and biscuits, but she certainly didn't have any of those. She'd know. 

With a huff that was too dramatic for not having anyone to show it to, the Doctor threw her blanket off her and got up. She was bored. She'd been lying around for practically millenia, so she was going to the console room to find something to do.

She picked up a pair of her blue socks from the floor and slipped them on her bare feet to keep them warm against the metal of the console room when she got there. 

* * *

After she'd left the Doctor in their bedroom, River went straight passed the kitchen and in the general direction of Yaz's room. She'd seen it a few times during the month she spent with the Doctor, but hadn't paid it no mind. She thanked the Gods for her excellent memory otherwise she'd have probably been wandering aimlessly and gotten lost in the sentient ship.

River trailed her hand along the lovely honey colour of the wall, enjoying the way it felt like the TARDIS was breathing under her fingers. That was something she loved about the Doctor's ship- she was always so welcoming and kind, even if she did like to mess around with her occupants sometimes. She usually minded her own business, too, whilst at the same time seeming to know everything that went on inside her infinite dimensions.

Taking her hand away from the wall, River turned a corner and spotted a lone door at a dead end. She recognised it immediately as Yaz's bedroom and picked up her pace. She was sure the room hadn't been down this corridor before, but that was the thing about a sentient ship. She loved to move rooms around, especially if there was someone with ill intentions going after a specific room. Maybe that was why Yaz's room had been moved. So it would be harder for River to find it.

Either way, when River reached the door, she brought up a hand and knocked four times on the lavender coloured door with Yaz's name written in fancy, golden lettering. There were a few golden stars surrounding the letters that River took an interest in as she waited for Yaz to open the door. 

The door handle moved down and the door was pulled open a second later, revealing Yaz stood in the doorway. She'd changed out of her Victorian-era clothes and now wore skinny jeans, a maroon shirt, and a leather jacket. Her hair had also been taken out and restyled in space buns. River smiled at the irony.

* * *

The Doctor slid energetically into the console room. She'd gotten over the fact that she hadn't gotten her promised hot chocolate and biscuits, as the thought of tinkering with the Old Girl's wiring had replaced those thoughts almost as soon as she left her bedroom. 

She slid on the metal floor over to the part of the console where the biscuit dispenser was. She grabbed hold of the console to stop herself from slipping past it and pressed down on the pedal with her foot. A custard cream wss dispensed and she picked it up with a 'thank you' to the TARDIS. Sometimes Sexy didn't give her the biscuits she requested because she ate too many, but apparently she had done something to deserve one today. She hadn't gotten any yesterday. 

With her treat in hand, the Doctor pulled her tool box out from under the console and sat down on the cold metal floor which was immediatelt heated up thanks to the TARDIS. She sent a grateful smile at the crystal column in the middle of the console, and got to work fiddling with the wiring under it after putting her welding goggles on.

* * *

"River?" Yaz asked when she saw who'd knocked on her door. Truthfully, she'd expected Ryan or the Doctor, but apparently she'd been wrong. "Is there something wrong?"

The Doctor's wife shook her head. "Oh, no, no, not at all," she reassured Yaz. Then, "well, actually, yes there is." 

"Oh, what is it? Do you need my help? I mean, I'm assuming that's why you're here?" Yaz guessed. 

River looked back down the corridor Yaz had been sure her room wasn't on when she'd gone inside. "Is it okay if I come in? It's important," River said.

"Oh, yeah. Sure, of course," Yaz said, remembering her manners and letting her in. Her room looked exactly like the one she had at home, which was kind of weird because the Doctor had never been in her room and she'd certainly never brought the TARDIS into her house like she had with Graham's. Yaz supposed it looked identicle because the ship was live or something. The Doctor had mentioned it, but Yaz had found it a bit creepy and tried not to think about it.

When River was inside, Yaz shut the door after her and went to sit on her bed, watching as the woman paced the length of her room. The pacing was making Yaz more nervous than she originally was. After all, why was River suddenly coming to see her when she'd never shown them the slightest interest anytime before that? 

"This is hard for me," River finally said, coming to a stop right in front of her, and Yaz frowned. What was hard for her? Why was she coming to her rather than the Doctor? "I don't  _like_ having to go behind the Doctor's back, but it has to be done. You have to be reminded that the Doctor is a taken woman."

"What?" Yaz asked, baffled. That's what this was about? Yaz would be lying if she said the thought of her and the Doctor hadn't passed her mind more than once. She wouldn't deny it. Okay, maybe she would. But still, she knew the second she found out the Doctor was married that she had no chance. And she would never move in on someone that was so obviously taken. She wasn't like that.

"You know what I'm talking about. I'm just here to remind you that the Doctor is taken, married, unavailable. You have no chance with that silly woman, is that clear?" River said in a low voice, taking a step closer to Yaz. The latter had the sudden urge to back away from the woman- there was something so obviously dangerous in River's eyes that was like a warning sign screaming 'run! Get the hell away from there!', but she held her ground and stayed put.

"I know the Doctor is taken. What makes you even think I want her?" Yaz defended.

River laughed, "don't think you can play dumb with me. I've seen the way you look at her. It's obvious that you want her."

"Yeah, well," Yaz stuttered, "even if I did, like I said, I know she's married, I wouldn't even try to go after her. She's too absorbed in you to notice me. She loves you, and I think you should stop obsessing over me and pay more attention to her."

"Oh, so you do have a bit of bite to you," River mused. "That's good. That makes this more entertaining than I thought it would be."

Suddenly, River had one hand either side of her on the bed, forcing Yaz to lean back away from her. There was now a sudden coldness to her eyes that Yaz hadn't thought could be possible when she was always making such lovey-dovey eyes at the Doctor. 

"Give up your silly little dream that you and the Doctor will ever be together. She doesn't go for humans like you. She prefers something a little... closer to home, and much more mature," River said, glancing down then back up at her with a raised eyebrow.

"You're the same as the Doctor?" Yaz asked, swallowing. What even was the Doctor? She'd never asked and now that River had mentioned it, she was curious. They'd never once met anyone else that was humanoid and had two hearts like the Doctor on their travels. What species had two hears? Certainly none the Doctor had mentioned.

"Almost," River said with a smile. "Now, have I made myself clear?"

Yaz nodded mutely, already regretting letting River into her room. She'd never thought the Doctor would marry someone like River. The Doctor hated violence with a passion, and River wasn't doing much to show she was above it. Then again, maybe the Doctor didn't know. She looked at her wife like she'd hung the moon itself and painted every cloud in the sky. There was no way she could know her wife was like this.

"Good," River chirped and leaned away from Yaz, giving her some breathing room. Yaz hated the way her heart was pounding in her chest like a drum. "Oh, and don't tell mummy about this," River added, tapping her nose in the way one would do when they had a seceret. "Okay?" She asked, making her way to the door.

"Yeah," Yaz whispered when River opened the door to exit. She didn't look up when the door slammed closed, but she did let out a sigh. She regretted not standing up for herself more. She was a police officer, after all. She could have done more. 

The sound of the TARDIS groaning brought her back to earth (metaphorically) and she looked up, smiling at the ceiling. 

"That's your daughter, huh?" Yaz asked, remembering something the Doctor had mentioned before. "She's... something, alright." 

The TARDIS whined loudly and Yaz frowned. It- she didn't sound happy at all. 

"What is it?" Yaz asked.

There was a clanging in the walls and Yaz's eyes were drawn to the wall above her bed. A square part of the cream wall had changed into what looked like a screen. Yaz shuffled up her bed to sit in front of the screen and her eyebrows furrowed.

A single word was displayed on the screen- 'Impossible!'

* * *

River walked into the console room, two cups of hot chocolate and some biscuits on a TARDIS blue tray. She knew her wife would leave their bedroom, she just didn't have the patience to wait around.

When she looked around, she noticed the Doctor half under the console, tinkering away. She had her thick, blue socks on and was still wearing the clothes River had given her. A took box was beside her and half of its contents were littering the floor.

"Sweetie?" River asked, wincing when the Doctor shot up and hit her head on the console with a yelp. "I got us hot chocolate and those biscuits you asked for. I'm sorry I took so long, the TARDIS moved the kitchen."

"Brilliant!" The Doctor exclaimed, jumping up and rushing over to her. "Not that the TARDIS moved the kitchen," she shot the console a glare and River almost felt bad for using the ship as an excuse, "that you got us hot chocolates!" 

The Doctor took her drink (the one that had loads of tiny marshmallows) and took a handful of custard creams from the plate. "Thank you," she said and pressed a kiss to River's cheek, making the latter smile. 

"You're welcome."

 

 

 

 


	6. Don't have nobody to call my own,

Bacon sandwich in hand, his coat zipped up to his chin ready for an adventure, and a cup of tea in hand, Graham made his way leasurely into the console room. As expected, Ryan, Yaz, and the Doctor were already there. What he also noticed, was that the Doctor's wife wasn't there this time. He scanned he room with his eyes, but still couldn't spot her.

Washing down the rest of his sandwich with some tea, he trotted up to the Doctor who was focusing on flying her ship. She lacked her certain child-like energy, this time, but even that couldn't snub the wonder in her eyes, he noticed. 

"Wife not here, Doc?" Graham inquired casually, and quickly grabbed the console when the TARDIS jerked.

The Doctor looked up at him quickly with wide eyes, then back down at the controls before giving her answer. "Um, no. She's not on board anymore," she said.

"Oh," Graham said, "where is she?" 

"Not sure," the Doctor told him honestly. "We had an argument, and she left."

Her hair hid her face from view, but when she lifted a hand to her face, Graham knew she would be wiping a stray tear away. Not wanting to risk the TARDIS flying into a sun because he hugged her, Graham settled for resting a comforting hand on the Doctor's shoulder instead. 

"I'm sorry, Doc," he said honestly with empathy. From the outside it may have seemed like his and Grace's marriage was picture perfect, but they'd had their ups and downs, too. 

"It's alright though!" The Doctor suddenly lightened up, stepping away and twisting a knob on the controls. Graham almost had whiplash from the sudden change in character. "She'll be back soon, she promised." 

"Oh, well, that's good then, I suppose," Graham nodded.

"Yep! So, enough about me. How about an adventure? What do you think, you two?" The Doctor questioned Ryan and Yaz, whirling around. "What about Mars? Your lot have been promising to go for ages, and they finally get there somewhere around the twenty-second century! It's brilliant! We can go before then, though, if you want. What do you think?"

After gathering their bearings from the sudden rambling from the Doctor, team TARDIS eventually agreed to a trip to Mars.

"Sounds good to me," Ryan mused. He'd always fancied the idea of Mars after everything he'd heard when his life had been normal-ish. He didn't know why he hadn't asked the Doctor before. 

With the biggest smile on her face, the Doctor input the new coordinates, spun the hourglass, and pulled the lever, sending them off to Mars. 

* * *

After a very rocky trip, the TARDIS landed with its familiar  _thud._ Graham pulled himself into a standing position, much better than the hunched one he'd taken whilst the Doctor had been piloting, and straightened his clothes. The Doctor was already running to the doors to see if they really were on Mars. It was a mandatory check when travelling with her. One too many times they'd arrived somewhere they were unwanted. 

It was as he was joining her, he heard her disappointed yet unsurprised "oh". He shook his head with a sigh. It seemed they weren't on Mars, then.

"Where are we?" Yaz asked, her and Ryan joining the Doctor by the doors.

With a frown, the Doctor turned around and answered her question. "The biggest bank in the galaxy," she admitted. 

"A bank?" Graham parroted. 

"Yep," the Doctor said merrily. "This bank takes up almost an entire planet its so big. The security is top notch, no one can get into the vault. Many have tried, and all have failed. Anyone found trying to get into the vault faces immediate termination."

"Cheery," said Graham.

"So, why are we at a bank?" Ryan asked, peering out of the TARDIS and at the large room with marble floors and quartz pillars. People, customers and employees alike, bustled around.

The Doctor shrugged with a smile, "no idea."

Suddenly, all windows in the room (and most likely the entire bank) were blocked by metal covers. The room flashed red via lights on the walls, followed by the sound of an alarm blaring loudly. The group covered their ears against the sound.

Security guards rushed into the room, armed to the teeth with all sorts of weapons and gear. A man in a pinstripe suit and black, slicked back hair lead the way to an employee elevator. The man called the elevator using a keycard and they all waited patiently for it to arrive. When it did, they all piled in. The doors closed after them and they disappeared from sight.

"Doc, what's goin' on?" Graham asked over the continuing alarm. 

"Don't know! But I think it's why the TARDIS brought us here!" She answered, removing her hands from her ears. She then stepped out of the TARDIS and made a gesture with her head for them to step out, too. They did so and she shut the doors behind them. "Come on," she told them and started making her way over to the employee elevator.

"We can't interfere, they've already got people on the job," Graham pointed out, following her anyway. 

"I just want to know what's going on," the Doctor denied, "anyway, the TARDIS wouldn't have brought me here if there wasn't a reason for me being here." Graham sighed, but didn't protest anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nothing much, just the start of the next chapter.


	7. Please turn on your magic beam,

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, ive had a bit of writers block recently which is why this chapter has been posted a lil latwr than usual. It probably wont be as good as my others because of the writers block, but i hope you enjoy it anyways.

The elevator came to a stop with a dull _thud_ and a  _ding_. Slowly, the doors opened, revealing a row of what looked like filing cabinets one would see in an office, only they were much taller, gold rather than grey, and wider. The rows went on for a while, but at the end, Team TARDIS and the Doctor could see a giant vault door. They could see the door was visibly open from where they were stood, and with a shared look, they started off in the direction of it. 

As they neared the large, open vault door, voices coming from inside got louder and louder. It sounded like an agument or maybe a very heated discussion, prompting the Doctor to pick up her pace in order to calm things down when she got there.

When they finall got to the spacious vault, the Doctor stepped over the circular doorway and entered it. Her fam followed her inside without question, but, unlike her, they stopped at the entrance with surprise.

"Of course," the Doctor muttered, "why else would the Old Girl bring me here, but for her daughter?"

"Hello, sweetie," River Song greeted, knelt down on the floor with her hands behind her head and about ten guns aimed at her courtesy of the guards team TARDIS had seen taking the elevator before them. "You certainly took your time," she pointed out.

"Sorry, traffic was hell," the Doctor grinned, folding her arms and leaning against the wall. 

An irritated huff drew everyone's attention to the man in a suit that had led the guards down to the vault in the first place. He looked flustered and annoyed, either at River breaking into the vault or the Doctor and her fam stepping in without even a word in his direction.

"I'm sorry," he said, not sounding the least bit sorry, "but who are you? And how did you get down to the vault? You don't work here."

The Doctor whipped out her psychic paper without a word and shoved it in her face. He flinched back at the speed of which she had done it, and blinked at it, any hostility he once held now gone.

"Oh, my apologies, Doctor Disco," he said, visibly cringing around the name. The Doctor's brows furrowed and she looked at the psychic paper, whilst telling the man he was forgiven. "I assume you've come about our intruder?" He prompted, an angry glance thrown at River who was eyeing up one of the more attractive guards. The guard in question tightened his hold on his gun, looking nervous.

"Yep. That is... exactly why we're here. These are my assosciates, Graham, Ryan, and Yaz. Also known as Team TARDIS," the Doctor quickly introduced her friends, each one waving or nodding awkwardly at the short, balding man. The Doctor then crouched down in front of River, the latter smiling with amusement in return. A sigh escaped the Doctor's lips and she shook her head, looking like helping her wife escape was a daily occurance to her. "Do we have a name for this woman?" 

"She calls herself River Song," the man told the Doctor who pretended to be interested in the information she was recieving.

"Hm. River Song. Sounds familiar," the Doctor mused, then stood up. A hand reached into her innercoat pocket and she pulled out a pair of silver police handcuffs. Ryan, Graham, and Yaz shared a shocked look, wondering how long she'd had those on her. "Okay, we'll take her off your hands, sir. You can trust us. We'll have her brought to the Shadow Proclamation in no time at all," the Doctor said, putting on a professional accent and sounding less Northern than she had before.

River put her hands behind her back with a smirk, said smirk changing to an unashamed grin when the Doctor cuffed her hands behind her back. 

"I-is that it? Done just like that?" The man questioned, a hint of paranoia lacing his voice. 

"Yep. Just like that. Now, if you don't mind, we're on a very tight schedule and we'd like to get back to the Shadow Proclamation as soon as possible," the Doctor said, helping River to her feet in too tender a way to resemble anything like jailer and prisoner.

"Right, right! Of course, ma'am," he hastily said, missing the way the Doctor frowned in confusion at the word 'ma'am'. "Would you like me to see you out? I can-"

"No, no. It's all good, we'll see ourselves out. Our ship is nearby, don't worry,"  the Doctor reassured him, already making her way out of the vault. Ryan, Yaz, and Graham followed immediately, wanting to leave the bank altogether. 

As the group left the vault and headed back to the elevator, leaving the man and his guards behind, Graham let out a breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding until then. Everytime they had to infiltrate some place or pretend to be someone they're not, he always felt anxiety well up in his stomach at the thought of them being caught. After all, it hadn't been too long ago, the Doctor had told Becka she was the Witchfinder General using her psychic paper, but said psychic paper had told King James she was just the assisstant. It was only a matter of time before the psychic paper didn't work at all and they found themselves in a worse position than Witchfinders.

The second the group of time travellers stepped inside the elevator and the doors closed after them, they all let out a relieved sigh. The Doctor removed River's handcuffs quickly and re-pocketed them before suddenly getting attacked by her wife's lips on hers. She recovered quickly, closing her eyes and moving her hands to River's waist.

Ryan awkwardly coughed, staring intently on the elevator buttons instead of the Doctor and her wife getting handsy with each other beside him. 

"Oh, sorry!" The Doctor quickly apologised, pulling away from her eager wife. Said wife settled beside her and linked one arm with hers with something along the lines of 'I'm still cross with you,' muttered in the process.

"Doctor, why was your wife in the vault?" Yaz asked, police mode kicking in. 

"Um, well," the Doctor stuttered nervously. She didn't want to taint her friends' view of her wife, it was already fairly obvious they didn't trust her. God knows what they would think now. "Well," she repeated, "sometimes River likes to steal stuff. Valuable stuff. Like, jewels..."

"She's a criminal?"

"Sometimes."

"How can she be a criminal 'sometimes'?" Graham asked incredulously.

"She has a name. And she is right here," River interrupted, unlinking her arm from the Doctor's. The latter pouted at the loss of contact. 

"Sorry," Yaz and Graham apologised. 

The elevator dinged and the group was eager to leave it. The Doctor and River stayed ahead, leading the way to the TARDIS which was still where they had left her. The windows and doors were now open unlike before when the bank had shut down. It was also lesss busy as most customers had most likely left as soon as they were able to.

As soon as they reached the TARDIS, the Doctor had her key out to unlike it while Ryan and Yaz were jokingly fighting behind her, and Graham and River were talking about something or another. The Doctor smiled as she pushed the door to her ship open and let the others in. Ryan, Graham, and Yaz bounded in first, and River gave her a sultry look as she passed her into the TARDIS. A shiver of excitement ran up the Doctor's spine- maybe River wasn't as cross with her as she had made out.

 "So, uh, fam, me and River need to have a little chat. If that's okay?" The Doctor started when she'd shut the door behind her and piloted them into the vortex. She hoped they'd get the hint.

Luckily for her, Graham got it immediately as he knew she and River had, had an argument. He nodded his had in understanding.

"Of course, Doc. We'll just be in the kitchen if you need us," he said, to which the Doctor gave him a thumbs up, and he started leading Ryan and Yaz out, ignoring their mild protests. 

When they were gone, the Doctor spun around to come face to face with River who wss looking unimpressed. A frown made its way onto the Doctor's face, and she realised maybe River _was_ still very cross. 

River moved towards her, making the Doctor automatically back away until her wife was pressung her against the console with her hands either side of her. The Doctor took her wife's moment of silence to examine her face, her disbelief at her wife being in front of her still very much present. Sometimes when River was distracted, she would find herself watching her, taking note of the way one of her curls would bounce on her shoulder when she moved, or the way her eyes shone when she looked arouns at the newly redecorated consolen room. It most importantly, the way River would let her eyes drift over to her for just a moment, knowing the Doctor was watching her, before she refocused on whatever she was doing.

"Sweetie," River said chastisingly, and it took the Doctor a moment to realise she'd zoned out. An embarrassed blush crept onto her cheeks and she nodded, not trusting herself to speak just yet. "I think you owe me an apology," River told her, a perfect eyebrow rose expectantly. 

"What? But I didn't do anything!" The Doctor suddenly protested, the fog on her mind gone. 

"Doctor," River said flatly, "are you forgetting about our little argument yesterday?" 

"That wasn't my fault!" The Doctor denied, ignoring the fact that River had said yesterday when it was only a few hours ago for her. "You started it!" 

A chuckle escaped River's lips and she leaned just a bit closer, making the Doctor gulp at the proximity. "Doctor, sweetie, you should know that, that's irrelevant. All that matters is that you said some very hurtful things to me, and I expect an apology."

"What?" Squeaked the Doctor. She couldn't remember saying anything hurtful to River. She would never purposely try and hurt her wife's feelings. It just wasn't her. "I didn't say anything hurtful, I would never. Not on purpose anyway. That's more Eyebrows' style."

"Saying archeology is rubbish isn't hurtful?" Prompted River.

"That's that this is about?!" The Doctor realised, slipping away from River in annoyance. "River, I'm a time traveller! I point and laugh at archeologists." 

"So you keep saying," River muttered. "Sweetie, all I want is an apology. Is that so hard?" She continued, grabbing one of the Doctor's wrists and pulling her back to her so they were once again on close proximity.

"Yes," said the Doctor simply with a pout. She would  _not_ apologise for saying archeology was rubbish. It  _was._

"Fine. I guess I'll just go and take a look at your suspenders," sighed River as she stepped away from the Doctor. "I'd only just got you out of them, seems all my work was for nought, though," she said, looking pointedly at the Doctor's yellow suspenders. 

"Oi, there's nothing wrong with suspenders! And if I remember correctly, you said they come in handy," the Doctor grinned, a feeling of victory overwhelming her as she made a very valid point. She crossed her arms. 

"Yes, they do come on handy. In the bedroom," River retorted. 

Coughing awkwardly, the Doctor moved around River and started fiddling with the controls as the TARDIS made a sort of wheezing noise in the background, like a laugh. It seemed the Old Girl was starting to warm up to River again. That meant more ganging up on her, the Doctor thought sourly. 

River followed her to the console and leaned against it, arms crossed over her chest and a light smirk on her mouth. "So? Do I get an apology?" She asked. 

The Doctor groaned loudly, making sure River heard how unimpressed she was. "Fine! Fine!" She relented, throwing her hands up in the process. "I'm sorry, River," she apologised, "I'm sorry I hurt your feelings, that was never my intention." 

"I forgive you, my love," River said smugly then moved away from where she was leant to pull the Doctor away from the controls. Her settled her arms around the Doctor's neck whilst the Doctor herself rested her hands on River's waist. "Now, why don't you tell me why you had my handcuffs in your pocket, hm?"


	8. Mr. Sandman, bring me a dream,

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh? Two chapters on the same day? I'm on a roll. (I hope I actually upload this on the same day, I have an awful memory).

The Doctor sat on the chair in front of the bathroom mirror. River had put the chair there for her and told her to sit still. It qas hard, but so far she was positive she was doing a brilliant job. Her wife had disappeared somewhere, but promised she would be back soon. That was about an hour ago, but she was still there. Sitting still. Doing a good job of it. 

A sigh escaped her lips and she reached forward to pick up one of River's elastic hair bands. She pulled it and let go. It hit the wall in front of her then flung back at her, hitting her in the forehead. She flinched then picked it up off the floor where it had landed. So far she wasn't sure why River had asked her to wait there, but she knew she'd find out sooner or later. Maybe River had a surprise for her. She loved surprises. They were one of her favourite things. The last time River had a surprise for her... well. It was a very good surprise. 

With newfound enthusiasm, the Doctor brought the small hairband up to her hair and tied it in like she'd seen River do to her own hair several times. It was a little messier than what her wife would have done, but she was proud of how it turned out. She wasn't sure what it was supposed to do to her hair, but it looked cool. As cool as bowties. Her eleventh regeneration would be having a field day. 

Now she'd used the hairband, she reached forward to find something else to mess with. She opened up the mirror and rummaged around through stuff she'd only just remembered she had. There was various alien medicines from when she'd gotten sock during her ninth regeneration, a toothbrush from her eleventh regeneration, some lipstick (she didn't know how that got there), and hair gel that she hadn't used since she was Ten. That regeneration used way too much hair gel.

The Doctor took the gel out and opened it up. She brought it to her nose to inhale the familiar smell, and felt a wave of nostalgia wash over her. She'd loved her tenth regeneration. She'd had so many great friends during his run. There was Rose, Jack, Mickey, Martha, Donna, Wilf. The latter might not have travelled with him back then, but she was still proud to call him a friend. A father figure, even, as she had confidently told the man. Her tenth regeneration had gladly given up his life for Wilf, and she wouldn't change that for the world. There was a feeling in her throat and she swallowed it down, screwing the lid back on the gel and putting it back in the mirror. 

In return for the gel, she took out the lipstick. She took off the black lid and twisted the bottom. A stick of red lipstick appeared and the Doctor nodded. It was River's, of course. Curiously, the Doctor brought the lipstick up to her lips and ran it over her lower lip. It didn't look as nice as River's looked when she did it because the Doctor didn't have the concentration to keep her hand still when applying it, but she could safely say it didn't look too bad. For her first time applying it anyway. She put it on her top lip and then pressed her lips together, making the layers even. 

She closed the mirror and looked at her reflection in it, and grinned. She looked amazing. Maybe she should wear lipstick more often. A frown donned her face and she shook her head, rubbing her lips together. She couldn't stop doing that. The lipstick was distracting and all she wanted to do was press her lips together. Recapping the lid, she put it back in the mirror and reached over to the side to grab some of River's makeup wipes. She washed the lipstick off and used her sleeve to dry her lips. 

When she was done with that, she groaned with boredom. She had nothing to do now and it had now been one hour and seven and a half minutes since River told her to stay there. She found herself tapping a four beat rhythm with her feet as she looked around for something else to do. 

She reached a hand in her pocket and pulled out her sonic screwdriver. She flipped it around in her hands a few times before her eyes fell on the shower in the reflection of the mirror. She wouldn't get in trouble for leaving her seat, would she? Probably. But then again, the shower _could_ use with a bit of an update. It didn't even play music yet! River would like that- a shower that played music. Oh, and she could add a feature that gave you a cup of tea! 

Scrambling from her seat, the Doctor rushed over to the shower and opened the glass door. 

* * *

Three hours later, the Doctor walked proudly into the console room soaked from head to toe and proudlt weilding her sonic. There was a bit of seaweed on her shoulder which she discarded on the floor. The TARDIS would get rid of it for her. Her fam looked up when she stepped in and took in the sight of her with wide eyes.

"Blimey, Doc, what happened to ya?" Graham questioned, unsure if he should be amused or worried. 

"I upgraded the shower," she told them with a wide grin, flipping her sonic screwdriver, catching it, then pocketing it.

"Is that why there'd a leak over there?" Ryan asked, pointing at a big-ish puddle over in the corner of the console room.

The Doctor gasped and rushed over to the puddle. She hadn't realised she'd caused a leak in the comsole room. Briefly, she wondered if there was any other leaks. 

"Has anyone seen River?" She asked her friends then gasped once again, realising she was supposed to have stayed put. She winced, imagining what River's reaction would be when she found out she'd left. 

"Uh, yeah, she said she was goin' to meet a friend at a pub on some planet I didn't understand the name of," Ryan answered, looking at her weirdly because she'd gasped. "Everythin' alright?" He continued when she only stared at him blankly.

"She went to a pub?" The Doctor repeated.

"Yeah, that's what she told us, anyways," Ryan said.

"Who did she go to meet?" 

"She didn' say," Graham answered, noticing Ryan was looking more and more sympathetic by the minute.

"Oh," the Doctor said in a high pitched voice. "Okay. Well, I guess I'll go find a book to read, or something."

"Doc, are you okay?" Graham prompted when the Doctor started to leave the console room.

"Fine, fine," The Doctor reassured him, waving a hand, but not turning around.

"Are you sure?" Yaz piped up. 

"I'm fine!" She snapped, finally stopping. From the way her shoulders sagged, it was obvious she was sighing. "Look, I'm sorry, fam," she apologised, turning to face them, "I just want to be alone for the moment. Like I said, find a book to read or something." 

Team TARDIS nodded, but refused to keep the worried looks off their face. It was obvious the Doctor was upset about her wife going to a pub to meet a friend, but why, they didn't know. They didn't know why River would keep it from the Doctor either. There was so much going on that didn't make sense, and they couldn't help but wonder if the Doctor's and River's relationship had always been like this.

When the Doctor was gone, Graham turned to Ryan and Yaz and shook his head, "somethin' ain't right," he stated.

"Yeah, the Doctor's proper upset," Ryan agreed.

"River obviously didn' tell the Doc where she was goin'," Graham pointed out with another shake of his head.

"Guys, there's something I need to tell you," Yaz spoke up, looking regretful. 

 


	9. Mr. Sandman, bring me a dream,

"What is it?" Ryan asked curiously. Yaz let out a deep breath full of anxiety. Her mind had been a whirlwind of repetetive thoughts ever since River had come to speak to her. She'd wanted to tell the Doctor, but she couldn't be sure her happy-go-lucky, see-the-best-in-everyone friend would believe her. Even she could see the adoring, lovestruck way in which the Doctor looked at her wife, and she didn't want to ruin that if she was just going to be wrong about River. But from what the TARDIS had told her, was it even River in the first place? 

"Well," Yaz started slowly, "the other day when we got back from visitin' London, River came to see me."

"What did she do that for?" Ryan asked. Yaz couldn't blame him. She'd had the same thought. River hadn't exactly shown the slightest bit of interest in them until that moment.

"From what I gathered, she thinks I'm a threat to hers and the Doctor's marriage," Yaz admitted, and it felt good to finally get it off her chest and tell someone. 

Ryan snorted and Graham and Yaz glared at him. "What?" Ryan defended. "Look, she's gotta be delusional to think you're a threat. The Doctor looks at that woman like she hung the Moon itself."

"I know, that's what I said, but she still thinks I'm a threat," Yaz huffed, "anyway, that's not even the worst of it."

"There's more?" Graham asked incredulously. 

"Yeah. When River left, the TARDIS spoke to me," said Yaz. 

Ryan and Graham shared confused looks. 

"I know it sounds strange, but I'm serious. The Doctor weren't kiddin' when she said the TARDIS is alive. After River left, some TV thing appeared on my bedroom wall and the TARDIS spoke to me. She thinks that woman isn't River," Yaz told them.

"What? Well, who else could it be? The Doctor thinks that's her," Ryan pointed out.

"That's what I told the TARDIS, but... well, River is dead. She died centuries ago in a Library. The first time the Doctor met her, she died saving thousands of people. They never met in the right order after that. The last time the Doctor and River met was on some planet called... Darillium, and apparently they were never supposed to meet again after that," Yaz said quickly.

"But," Graham stuttered, "if River is dead and the Doc was never s'pposed to meet her again, then how can she be here?" 

"That's exactly why the TARDIS thinks this isn't her," nodded Yaz, "she's unable to get any proper readings on River so she can't tell." 

"We need to tell the Doctor," Ryan realised with wide, worried eyes. 

"We can't!" Yaz protested, earning surprised looks from Graham and Ryan. "Sorry," she apologised, "it's just... we can't do that. It'll destroy her. It's obvious to anyone that the Doctor adores that woman. Imagine having to lose someone you love twice."

Graham looked down, most likely imagining what it would be like to lose Grace twice. Once was enough in itself, but twice? The older man sighed and lifted his head to look at Ryan and Yaz again, "so what do we do? We can't let the Doc keep thinkin' this is her wife. She's bound to find out eventually. She ain't stupid." 

"We'll figure somethin' out. But first we need to make sure this ain't her. We can't just accuse her of bein' an imposter if we're wrong," Ryan pointed out. Graham and Yaz nodded and sighed.

* * *

A few more hours later, the Doctor entered the console room and strolled up to the console. With much less enthusiasm than usual, she started piloting her ship through space and time. Her companions gripped whatever was nearest to them, nearly toppling over as they'd been given no warning they were about to take off. Even if the Doctor's wife wasn't actually River, they still missed her piloting.

"Where we goin', Doc?" Graham found the courage to ask, not missing her unhappy expression.

The Doctor pulled a lever and the TARDIS landed with its familiar  _thump_. "To pick my wife up," she stated. Graham shared a look with Ryan and Yaz as they all peeled themselves off whatever they'd grabbed onto.

As if summoned by her title, the TARDIS doors opened and in walked River. She wore a black dress with lace sleeves that lightly sparkled in the light of the TARDIS. Her height was incresed by her black stillettos. Her hair was as it usually was, bouncing on her shoulders as she walked, and she had some basic makeup on like red lipstick and a bit of black eyeshadow. 

Walking up to the console, she threw her shiny, black purse down onto the controls, ignoring the way the ship groaned in protest at being disregarded like that. She then moved around the console, pressing a button after the Doctor pulled the lever and the ship started to shake. It calmed down and she was able to reach the Doctor in her five inch heels.

"You're a little late, not that I'm complaining," River told the Doctor pressing a kiss to the blonde's cheek. The Doctor grunted.

"Your lipstick is smudged," she pointed out, moving around to spin a small wheel on the controls. River made a noise and reached to pick up her purse, but it was gone.

"Damn," she cursed, already knowing the TARDIS had moved it either because she was mad with River, or because she didn't appreciate being used to hold her stuff. 

"Did you have a good time?" The Doctor innocently asked, ignoring the way her companions shared looks. 

"Oh, yes. I had a wonderful time. Met some lovely people," River nodded and started using the monitor on the console to fix her makeup.

"I can imagine," the Doctor mused just as she parked the TARDIS. 

When her lipstick was perfect, River straightened up and fluffed her hair a bit. She moved around the console so she was stood next to the Doctor once again. "And you've moved," River noted. For a moment the Doctor was confused- of course she'd moved, she'd just been piloting the TARDIS- but then she remembered River's instructions before she'd gone off to that intergalactic pub. 

"I waited for hours," the Doctor complained, "I got bored."

"Well, I suppose you lasted longer than I expected," River noted with a sort of proud look. 

"Well, I'm glad you're happy," the Doctor sarcastically said, tossing her wife a smile that looked more like a grimace than anything.

River hummed and sidled up behind the Doctor much like she had when she showed up on the TARDIS for the first time. Wrapping her arms around the Doctor's waist and hooking one finger around her suspenders, River spoke, "yes, and I suppose you deserve a treat for lasting as long as you did." 

The Doctor shivered when River's breath blew on her neck and she instinctively placed a hand over her wife's. "I suppose," she agreed, lost in the moment. 

A short cough from Graham broke the silence that had fallen upon the console room, and the Doctor quickly pulled away from River, coming back to herself. "No, no!" She said, wagging a finger at her wife. "I'm mad at you," she stated, frowning. Then, quieter, she continued, "you told me to sit on a chair and wait for you. I sat there for hours. You didn't even tell me where you were going."

"Sweetie," River chuckled as if she couldn't believe the blame was being put on her, "you wouldn't have let me go otherwise."

"I would have," the Doctor denied, "do you really think I trust you so little that I wouldn't have allowed you to go to... to a _pub_?"

"Well, you don't exactly have the greatest track record for trusting me, my love," River pointed out.

"That's different," the Doctor shook her head, "I didn't know who you were back then. You were in prison, what was I supposed to think?"

"I guess you're right," River reluctantly agreed as she made her move once again, stepping around the console to rejoin the Doctor who was fiddling with the controls, avoiding the eyes of everyone else. "So," River murmured, gently pulling the Doctor away from the controls, much to the woman's annoyance "about that treat?" 

The Doctor absently messed with one of River's blonde curls. "What is it?" She questioned. 

"I don't think it's appropriate to say," River said, eyes quickly flickering over to the Doctor's companions awkwardly stood off to the side. 

"Oh," the Doctor blushed, pulling her hand away to rest them on River's upper arms, "oh. Well, um, now?" She asked. 

"Now," River confirmed with a nod of her head. 

"But, don't you want to go on an adventure first?" 

"Sweetie, we have all the time in the world for adventures," River pointed out.

The Doctor faltered slightly, "I guess you're right. So, um," she looked at her companions before returning her sights to River, "bedroom?" She whispered.

"Bedroom," River agreed, pulling away from the Doctor. 

The latter turned to her friends and shot them a grin. "Right," she said, "um, me and the missus are gonna go... do something? So, um, why don't you lot find something to do. Like, go for a few laps in swimming pool number five? Or, maybe watch a movie in the cinema room?! Oh, there's an artificial forest on corridor number three-hundred and twenty-one!" The Doctor rambled, enjoying her friend's excited looks.

"Sweetie," River intereupted before the Doctor could get too carried away.

"Oh, right, sorry," she apologised sheepishly. "Well, don't wait up, fam," she told her friends with a quick wave. That said, she and her wife linked hands and disappeared down the ajoining corridor to the left.

When the sound of River's heels and the Doctor's chatter had faded away, Graham turned to Ryan and Yaz with a baffled look. He shook his head, portraying exactly how Ryan and Yaz felt.

"That woman has got the Doc wrapped round her little finger," he stated. 


	10. Make her the cutest I've ever seen,

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have really bad writers block right now. I know where I want to go with this story, but I can't seem to put it into words.

The Doctor and River lay in their king-sized bed, the sheets thrown messily over them. The TARDIS whirred gently in the background and the realistic stars on the ceiling shone brightly in contrast to the dark space around them. A shooting star flew across the stars, reflecting in the Doctor's eyes as she watched it fly past, a small smile making its way on her face.

River breathed in a deep breath and tightened her hold on the Doctor's waist, making the latter's smile brighten. There hadn't been many quiet moments with River since she came back, but the few they got were cherished by the Doctor. Right now being one of those few quiet moments.

A light knock came from the door and the Doctor turned her eyes to her wife, praying the noise hadn't woken her. When her wife showed no sign of being awake, the Doctor slowly and carefully lifted her arm and moved it off her stomach. She once again stopped to make sure she was still asleep before quietly slipping out of bed and picking up her shirt. She pulled it on along with her familiar blue trousers then shuffled over to the door. 

The Doctor pulled the door open to see all three of her companions stood there, looking a little worried. 

"Fam? What's wrong?" She asked quietly, even in her panic, not wanting to wake up River.

The three shared a look until eventually, Yaz nudged Ryan and he was forced to do the talking.

"Well, we know you don't sleep much," he started to which the Doctor nodded in agreement, "and we couldn't sleep either, really." 

The Doctor smiled, understanding what they meant now.

"So, uh, think we can go on an adventure?" He finished. "I mean, we don't have to if you don't want to- it was just a suggestion," he quickly continued, looking guilty.

"No, no, it's alright, Ryan!" The Doctor reassured him. "I'd love to go on an adventure! You lot wait here, I'll just see if River wants to come," she told them.

"No!" Graham blurted out, stopping the Doctor in her tracks. Rustling came from where River was lay on the bed and everyone held their breath, waiting for the inevitable. When she simply rolled over so she was lay on her back, everyone sighed in relief.

The Doctor turned to look at Graham with confusion and a tiny bit of annoyance. "Why not?" She asked. "What's going on, fam?" 

"Nothing's goin' on," Yaz said seriously, "we just wanna go on an adventure and... River looks quite comfortable there, don't you think? Don't wanna wake her up if she's comfortable, do you?" 

"Suppose you're right," the Doctor nodded, looking back at River for a moment. "Well, where do you wanna go, fam?!" She asked, brightening up and stepping out of her room, closing the door behind her.

"A planet," Ryan said straight away. 

"Definitely," Yaz agreed.

"Oh, I know loads of planets!" The Doctor smiled excitedly as she started heading down the hallway. "We could go to Barcelona! Or the not-so-lost Moon of Poosh. Oh, what about Midnight? Wait, no. Not Midnight. Hm, maybe Chare? Chare's good."

"Chair? What have chairs got to do with this?" Graham spoke up, interrupting the Doctor's ramblings.

"No, not chairs. Chare, the planet," the Doctor corrected.

"Well, who names a planet after chairs?"

"They didn't name it after chairs. In fact, Chare existed long before chairs did," the Doctor stated matter-of-factly.

"What did they do without chairs?" Graham asked incredulously as the group entered the console room.

"Sat on the floor, of course!" Exclaimed the Doctor as she started piloting the TARDIS to wherever she'd decided to take them. The ship started rocking immediately, making them all grab onto whatever they could to prevent themselves from toppling over.

After a particularly violent jerk, Yaz decided to voice her concerns. "Shouldn't you turn the brakes off, Doctor? What if River wakes up?" She yelled over the noise.

"But I like the noise," the Doctor protested before a thoughtful look fell over her face, "suppose you're right, though, she won't appreciate being woken up. She hates it." With that said, the Doctor pressed a blue button and the turbulence disappeared almost immediately.

"You should travel like this more often, Doc," Graham suggested with a joking smile.

"Nah, where's the fun in that?" The Doctor replied as she continued piloting.

Eventually, the Doctor stopped piloting and brought the monitor up to read it. Though none of her friends could read it, the Doctor regarded the multiple circles on the screen as if it was the easiest thing in the universe to understand. A smile lit up her face and she rushed over to the doors, flinging them open.

"Oh, my God," Ryan muttered, joining the Doctor at the doors. Her smile had long since disappeared as she and Ryan stood in the doorway, not daring to step even a foot outside. Graham and Yaz were more hesitant to go and take a look, as they could see enough from where they were stood by the console. "What happened?" Ryan continued, looking at the scene in front of them.

"I don't know," whispered the Doctor, entranced by a burning tree in the distance. "I don't understand. It wasn't like this the last time I was here."

"Is there anything we can do?" Ryan asked, feeling helpless.

"No. Whatever happened here has long since passed."

"Can we close the doors?" Yaz questioned softly, unable to look outside the doors any longer.

Nodding, the Doctor stepped back a bit with Ryan and shut the doors, effectively blocking their view of the quiet battlefield outside. For a moment, she stood with her head rested against them. She let out a long sigh before coming back to herself and returning to the console, getting to work on taking them away from there. When she was satisfied they were no longer on what used to be Chare, the Doctor pulled the lever and leaned her elbows on the console, her head in her hands. Graham, noting how upset she was about what they'd seen, stepped forward and placed a hand on her shoulder in silent comfort.

"Have we moved? The TARDIS is being stubborn and won't say a word," a voice came from one of the right corridors. The Doctor momentarily tensed under Graham's hand and he looked down at her. Subtly, he shared a look with Ryan and Yaz and knew they both felt the same as he did about River's sudden appearance. Dread.

"No," the Doctor denied, straightening up and moving away from Graham to stand in front of River. "We were going to look at a planet, but got side-tracked."

"Oh, well I wouldn't be opposed to a little adventure," River winked at the Doctor, making her blush slightly and look away awkwardly.

"Really? Where do you wanna go?" The Doctor asked with a smile, bouncing back.

"I don't know. Why don't you choose? You know more planets than me, sweetie," River said. The Doctor gushed at the familiar nickname and nodded, running back to the console to start piloting them, remembering to turn the brakes back on just before they set off so River wouldn't be suspicious as to why they had been off in the first place. Her wife knew her too well, and having the brakes off wasn't one of the Doctor's favourite things. 


End file.
